Our Stay at the Cancun Palace
OK, then... let's put together a quick post on Cancun, namely reviewing the Cancun Palace. Here are my thoughts on the resort that we visited while in Cancun on a company trip.
First, would I recommend it? Yes, I would. It was completely renovated in 2007 and looks quite different than older pictures of The Cancun Palace. Gone is the Mexican-style resort - in it's place is a modern, sleek resort. Here is an idea of what it used to look like and here is the view from our 5th floor balcony - room 580 at the resort.
The rooms are nice and spacious and all include a hot tub. Other amenities include large showers, double sinks, modern f
urnishings, a fridge full of non-alcoholic drinks/beer and a liquor dispenser with Smirnoff, Dewar's and more. Yes, they'll refill it daily. All the rooms have a balcony although the ones on the side wings have larger balconies. End rooms have larger, more open balconies with unimpeded views of the Caribbean. Very nice. Some rooms on the lower floors either have obstructed views or face the pool. If possible, shoot for a higher room - you'll be glad you did. Oh, and make sure you face the ocean because there are lagoon view rooms - not the best choice, to be sure.
Now, onto the food - there are five restaurants to choose from... El Mercado (international), Leonardo (Italian), Frida (Mexican), Miyako ("oriental") and The Steak (uh... steak). For breakfast and lunch, El Mercado and Frida serve essentially the same thing although the buffet at El Mercado is superior - hands down. Both have outdoor seating but only El Mercado has indoor seating. I can't speak to their food for dinner. I never ate at Leonardo but our friends said they liked it. Miyako is Asian and not a great version although a nice enough place to eat. My wife's pad thai did not look like the pad thai I know and my shrimp in green curry was lacking in spice. Still, it was all serviceable and we were treated extremely well - the staff went out of their way. Never ate at The Steak but the atmosphere looked fantastic (see below).
Depending on your taste, the pool scene can get a bit loud. When facing the ocean, the pool scene to the left is rowdier with a DJ while the pool scene to the right is calmer. If you want a prime spot to lay out, "hold" your chair early by placing a towel and your book on the chair. People start doing it early. The jacuzzis (see above in the steak picture) weren't working so there weren't many people hanging out there. If you want peace and quiet, that's probably your best bet.
Inside the hotel, you'll find a great gym (one of the best we've seen at a resort - see above), tennis courts, a kids' club, a theater used for nightly entertainment (like a Michael Jackson show), a gift shop and jewelry store (both with reasonable prices), several tour desks and more. A centrally located lobby bar has nightly entertainment - live bands, karaoke, etc. The hotel spa is rather pricey but the treatments we enjoyed (and from what we heard from others) are quite good. The treatment rooms are nice but the common areas are very disappointing. Not like the stunning common areas at a resort like the Boca Resort.
What else... service, overall, was excellent. The rooms are cleaned twice a day. Despite being an all-inclusive, the staff generally provide quality drinks and don't skimp on the hard stuff. Everyone really made us feel welcome despite being one of 600+ guests. The beach is pretty much gone but there is a little strip of sand that runs along the hotels. Like I said... would I recommend the resort? Yes... it was a great stay.
First, would I recommend it? Yes, I would. It was completely renovated in 2007 and looks quite different than older pictures of The Cancun Palace. Gone is the Mexican-style resort - in it's place is a modern, sleek resort. Here is an idea of what it used to look like and here is the view from our 5th floor balcony - room 580 at the resort.
The rooms are nice and spacious and all include a hot tub. Other amenities include large showers, double sinks, modern f
urnishings, a fridge full of non-alcoholic drinks/beer and a liquor dispenser with Smirnoff, Dewar's and more. Yes, they'll refill it daily. All the rooms have a balcony although the ones on the side wings have larger balconies. End rooms have larger, more open balconies with unimpeded views of the Caribbean. Very nice. Some rooms on the lower floors either have obstructed views or face the pool. If possible, shoot for a higher room - you'll be glad you did. Oh, and make sure you face the ocean because there are lagoon view rooms - not the best choice, to be sure.Now, onto the food - there are five restaurants to choose from... El Mercado (international), Leonardo (Italian), Frida (Mexican), Miyako ("oriental") and The Steak (uh... steak). For breakfast and lunch, El Mercado and Frida serve essentially the same thing although the buffet at El Mercado is superior - hands down. Both have outdoor seating but only El Mercado has indoor seating. I can't speak to their food for dinner. I never ate at Leonardo but our friends said they liked it. Miyako is Asian and not a great version although a nice enough place to eat. My wife's pad thai did not look like the pad thai I know and my shrimp in green curry was lacking in spice. Still, it was all serviceable and we were treated extremely well - the staff went out of their way. Never ate at The Steak but the atmosphere looked fantastic (see below).
Depending on your taste, the pool scene can get a bit loud. When facing the ocean, the pool scene to the left is rowdier with a DJ while the pool scene to the right is calmer. If you want a prime spot to lay out, "hold" your chair early by placing a towel and your book on the chair. People start doing it early. The jacuzzis (see above in the steak picture) weren't working so there weren't many people hanging out there. If you want peace and quiet, that's probably your best bet.
Inside the hotel, you'll find a great gym (one of the best we've seen at a resort - see above), tennis courts, a kids' club, a theater used for nightly entertainment (like a Michael Jackson show), a gift shop and jewelry store (both with reasonable prices), several tour desks and more. A centrally located lobby bar has nightly entertainment - live bands, karaoke, etc. The hotel spa is rather pricey but the treatments we enjoyed (and from what we heard from others) are quite good. The treatment rooms are nice but the common areas are very disappointing. Not like the stunning common areas at a resort like the Boca Resort.
What else... service, overall, was excellent. The rooms are cleaned twice a day. Despite being an all-inclusive, the staff generally provide quality drinks and don't skimp on the hard stuff. Everyone really made us feel welcome despite being one of 600+ guests. The beach is pretty much gone but there is a little strip of sand that runs along the hotels. Like I said... would I recommend the resort? Yes... it was a great stay.
2 comments:
wow, that sounds beautiful. I could use some of that sun! Did you take Lorenzo with you? There is no mention of him in your post.
HI there!!
our family visited in december and i agree, the service is impeccable!! I have a question for u, did u purchase the "palace premier" package? and if u did, are u satisfied with it? We purchased it and have come to find out that buying through expedia, travelocity,e tc, would have been either the same or cheaper and now i don't know how to get my money back from the premier package. thanks for ur input.
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